One of Credit Suisse’s longest-standing shareholders has sold its entire stake in the scandal-hit Swiss bank after losing patience with its strategy amid persistent losses and an exodus of clients.
US investment manager Harris Associates, whose deputy chair and chief investment officer David Herro was for years among the Swiss bank’s most prominent supporters, owned as much as 10 per cent of Credit Suisse’s stock last year.
Herro is not convinced that Credit Suisse’s latest radical restructuring — which includes spinning off its investment bank and beefing up its wealth management business — can turn round the fortunes of the 167-year-old lender.
Harris is frustrated in particular by the cost and lack of transparency of the investment banking spin-off deal with former board member Michael Klein — which will revive the First Boston brand name — and the agreement to sell its securitised products business to private equity group Apollo.
The bank last month reported an SFr7.3bn loss for 2022 — its second consecutive annual loss and most significant since the global financial crisis.
It also signalled there would be a «significant loss» this year. The bank’s shares hit an all-time intraday low of SFr2.52 on Thursday.
The lack of transparency is one of the main reasons many have just got rid of their CS stock. It's one of the reasons why the bank is in so much trouble.
ReplyDeleteI don't see them making a comeback. They may even go bankrupt.
DeleteOr they could lose all credibility and just be a regular bank going forward. But it may take upwards of 10 years for them to even think of getting back to where they once were.
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